Mt. Currie man injured in assault with a weapon

A 46-year-old Mt. Currie man is up on charges of assault with a weapon, assault causing bodily harm and uttering death threats after allegedly attacking another male on the afternoon of Nov. 30.

According to the RCMP, the 47-year-old victim — also from Mt. Currie — was hitchhiking to Pemberton from Mt. Currie when he was picked up by the suspect. The suspect made a stop on the way at the bottle depot, at which point the driver went inside. The hitchhiker went inside to find out what was taking so long, and the driver was verbally abusive.

When the driver came back outside, he allegedly demanded money from the hitchhiker for the ride, and the hitchhiker refused. The suspect then allegedly hit the victim twice with an object — either an axe, sledgehammer or maul — breaking his collarbone and bruising his calf. He is also alleged to have made death threats before getting into his vehicle and driving away.

The suspect was located by the police, and arrested. He was held overnight until he could appear before a judge on Dec. 1.

Police seek public's assistance on credit card fraud

The Whistler RCMP received several reports of a credit card fraud last week, and believe two suspects may be related.

On Dec. 1 at 1:30 p.m. the RCMP received a report from a liquor store regarding a male who was attempting to purchase gift cards with a credit card. When his card was denied he became abusive and threatening with staff.

While investigating that incident the police discovered that another male matching the suspect's description had also visited the other liquor store, as well as two pharmacies, in each case trying to purchase gift cards. He was unsuccessful each time.

The police searched the village for the suspect and to warn businesses, but did not find the individual. He is described as approximately five-foot-eight, with hair that was shaved short. He was wearing a black puffy jacket and dark jeans. He was described as having acne and some scarring on his face.

On Dec. 2 at 9:30 a.m. the RCMP received another call related to a credit card fraud, in this case at a village clothing store. A Caucasian male was attempting to use an American Express credit card with Japanese characters, and when he was asked to produce a second piece of identification he provided a drivers' licence with someone else's photo. He became angry and threatening, and demanded his card back. When he was handed the card he left the store and the police were called.

On investigation, the police determined that the male had successfully used the card earlier at another village retailer. They also conducted a patrol of the village but came up empty.

The male is described as Caucasian, in his early 30s, and six-foot-one with a medium build. He had a blond hair, and was wearing beige pants with paint stains and a dark jacket.

Police released video camera stills of both suspects this week. If you have any information or know the suspects, contact the Whistler RCMP at 604-932-3044 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).

The RCMP is warning retailers and the public to be on the lookout for fraud this holiday season, as scammers like to take advantage of the busy stores and stress level of workers. All fraud attempts should be reported to the police, who will warn other businesses, and in cases where there is video footage they will share stills with stores so they can be on the lookout for suspects.

Rental scam reported

Two individuals who rented a Whistler place through Craigslist arrived in Whistler last week to discover that the place they rented doesn't exist. They paid the purported landlord over $1,000 to secure the property through a money transfer.

Police are warning the public not to rent or pay deposits by money transfer, and not to exchange any money unless they meet with the landlord directly.